Lunch at Rudy’s Pizza

Rudy’s Pizza, Manchester

It’s taken some effort to be able to write this blog post. The first time I tried to visit Ancoats’ favourite pizzeria, Rudy’s, I thought it would be simple. No bookings, but if I headed there straight after work, it would be fine, right? Nope.

Everyone else was clearly as keen as me, because there was a huge waiting time. I was way too hungry to wait, so we headed to Evelyn’s instead, which I blogged about here.

First tip for Rudy’s: be prepared to wait or go at a random ‘off-peak’ time. But don’t worry, there’s a reason the place is filled to the brim and why people are prepared to wait up to an hour for a table.

The Pizza

I went along with my lunch date partner-in-crime, Ros, and her achingly cute baby gal, Cora. This time we popped along on a Friday lunchtime, unfortunately timed during half-term, and patiently waited our 40 minutes for a table. We were pretty determined this time around.

First thing we noticed was that the service is much better than PLY. Honestly, there’s nothing worse than ignorant staff in a restaurant that’s not even busy, so I was really pleased that our servers were attentive and friendly, despite the busyness.

Anyway, after a cheeky Aperol spritz (£5.50), we got down to THE PIZZA. Rudy’s serve traditional Neapolitan pizza, stonebaked with fresh dough that’s made on-site twice a day. It’s as fresh as you can get.

I had the Prosciutto Cotto (£7.90), which consists of a tomato base, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, basil, oregano, olive oil & parmesan. At £7.90, it’s an absolute bargain for what you get. 100% worth leaving the city centre bubble and waiting 40 mins.

Ros went for one of the veggie options, the Portobello (£7.20), which was very similar to mine minus the meat and with a generous helping of Portobello mushrooms. I did have to cut it up for her (#MumLife), but she really enjoyed it. Clean plates all around.

Coffee & Cake

We’re not the kind of gals to skip dessert. No matter how full we are. There’s a small but authentically Italian dessert menu at Rudy’s, featuring polenta cakes and multiple ice cream flavours.

We both had the lemon polenta cake, which was deliciously crumbly with just a hint of zingy lemon. Along with a double espresso each, it was the perfect end to a casual Friday lunch at Rudy’s.

Overall, I was really impressed. There’s nothing flashy or pretentious about Rudy’s, it feels like a home from home and you’ll always leave with a full tum and a decent bill. It’s my new favourite pizza place in Manchester now, for sure.

Check out their full menu and location on the Rudy’s Pizza website here.